The enthralling element of Living Here is how melodically rich and textured it all is. Hermine Deurloo possesses a lyricism on chromatic harmonica that comes off as both intricately detailed and effortlessly fluid. Pianist Rembrandt Frerichs gets a melody to radiate a vibrancy that is often jaw-dropping beautiful, and how that matches up with the dancing motion of the tempos sparked by drummer Jim Black is a big reason why the music remains light on its feet even when packed tight with melodic inspirations. It’s an effect further accentuated by the harmonic possibilities explored by Jörg Brinkmann on cello.

And that’s why songs exhibiting the intense melodic focus of “Long Story Short” and “Sketch on November” can be nicely complemented by tracks like the hard-charging “Achiltibuie” and the playful “Samba de um Breque” and the folksy charm of title-track “Living Here.”

There’s a poetry to every expression on this lovely recording, and it informs each act of motion, each form of articulation. The music incites vivid imagery, but not to the point of distraction… where story and storyteller become indistinguishable and where method and meaning hold hands tight. And every last bit of it is captivating.